Aligning Development Policies for Green Jobs and Land and Ecosystem Restoration
Discussion Paper No. 23/002
The Degradation of Land and Ecosystems is a major problem globally, as well as in India, which needs to be addressed urgently. In India, nearly 30 per cent of the country’s total geographical area is undergoing degradation1, having profound implications for millions of lives, livelihoods and the country’s rich biodiversity. According to a study, the cost of land degradation and land use change ate up to 2.54% of India’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014-15 The United Nations has tagged this as the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030). A decade where efforts to massively scale up the restoration of degraded and destroyed ecosystems will be made. This was after studies revealed that an estimated 1 million species face the threat of extinction, many within decades, if we do not act urgently to change the course of things.
